Mastery Based Learning

Student assessments are aligned directly to curriculum standards. Grades are collected on each assessment and are calculated using an algorithm called the Power Law. Similar standards are grouped and averaged into a reporting category to give students an overall grade.

• Two Progress Reports per year:  January and June
• Parent Conferences: Fall (November) and Spring (March)
• Additionally, teachers will communicate regularly about progress through a variety of means to parents and students.

Reporting Categories group standards that are similar. In most cases, these standards were grouped together by the groups that created the standards.

This system allows teachers and parents to see specifically what strides a student is making toward an end of the year goal. Parents can see specifically what skills a student is working on, based on the reports. This system provides an advanced level of transparency between the district, the teacher, the parent, and ideally the student. This new level of transparency and understanding is ideal for an environment where all stakeholders are working together to meet the needs of the students.

The teacher will be able to communicate not only during conferences but through regular communications that your child is on track. It’s normal to expect a child to be at the ‘Beginning’/’Progressing’ level in the first part of the year. As the year progresses, you will notice your child scoring at the ‘Progressing’ and ‘Proficient’ level.

There is no longer Honor Roll.

During conferences, teachers will communicate to parents as early as possible if a child is struggling to meet the standards. If that is the case, the teacher will communicate how they are working to support the child to improve through a variety of interventions.

While the main goal of Mastery-Based Learning is for a student to be proficient on grade level standards, students who have already achieved a proficient will occasionally be given the opportunity to achieve a beyond on assessments. For a student to achieve a beyond, the must be performing at a level that is well beyond their grade level expectations in many standards.

The Power Law is a calculation that accounts for both the assessment score and the date of the assessment. It produces a score that more accurately represents a students’ learning than a traditional grading system. It gives more weight to the most recent assignment that a student has completed. The calculation does not punish students for the time it takes for them to learn a skill.

The Natural Learning Curve is the understanding that growth occurs over time. As with all things, when someone is introduced to something new, like learning to play the guitar, they will be at a beginning level. However, as instruction and practice is provided and learning occurs, they will improve their skills towards mastery. As students demonstrate their understanding of the concepts within the standard, the more accurate our understanding of student learning becomes. This reinforces the understanding that it will be common for students to be at a beginning or progressing level at the outset of the year with the goal of being proficient by the end of the year.